


Carnival

by YouHateInvisiblePie



Series: Excerpts [2]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Episode 54 - A Carnival Comes to Town, Gen, Genderfluid Character, NaNoWriMo, mentions of carlos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-26 07:39:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9873950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YouHateInvisiblePie/pseuds/YouHateInvisiblePie
Summary: This is an excerpt from my 2014 NaNoWriMo novel "Who What When Where Why and How"This takes place immediately following episode 54 - A Carnival Comes to Town.“How could you?” Casey asked, their tone filled with disgust.“They meant us harm,” Cecil argued.“Just because they were different from you? Because they ‘didn’t belong’? You were supposed to be different. Night Vale was supposed to be different. I felt safe here. For the first time in so long.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> "Who What When Where Why and How" is about a gender-fluid interloper discovering what "normal" and "home" mean after winding up in a little desert town where neither word seems to mean what it used to.

“How could you?” Casey asked, their tone filled with disgust. 

“What are you talking about?” Cecil asked, only slightly surprised to find Casey in his house waiting for him when he got back from the station that evening. 

“The carnival!”

“We were triumphant,  why are you still angry? The wretched interlopers have been vanquished and our community is safe once more.”

“Wretched? Safe?” Casey repeated, their voice growing louder after each word they couldn’t believe that fell from Cecil’s lips. 

“Of course we’re safe. Night Vale came together to protect itself, the citizens triumphed.”

“There was never a threat! All you did was rally up a mob that you then sicked on innocent people!”

“They meant us harm,” Cecil argued. 

“What proof did you have of that? They did nothing but try and set up camp. You over reacted to something that you were unfamiliar with and assumed that because it was different, that it meant you harm. Despite the fact that they gave no indication of anything other than a simple carnival.”

“They were outsiders.”

“I AM OUTSIDER! CARLOS IS AN OUTSIDER! AND I KNOW DAMN WELL THAT YOU DID NOT TREAT EITHER OF US IN SUCH AN APPALLING, PREJUDICE MANNER! WHY?” Casey’s eyes began to water. “I WANT YOU TO TELL ME WHY CECIL PALMER!” They sniffled and got quiet. Like something had broken during the screaming and Casey no longer possessed the ability to raise their voice so loud. “Just because they were different from you? Because they ‘didn’t belong’? You were supposed to be different.  _ Night Vale _ was supposed to be different. I felt safe here. For the first time in so long.”

“Casey, I -”

“No, you don’t get to talk to me right now.  You made me feel safe here, convinced me that there was still some shred of decency left in humanity, and then ripped it from my hands. 

“I know that Night Vale is far from a utopian society, what with secret government surveillance and banning books, but the people were always accepting. You are openly gay and walk down the street like it doesn’t mean a thing.  And it doesn’t here, and I don’t think you understand  just how amazing that is, how lucky you are. You can walk down the street without a care in the world, and that is not a privilege that everyone has. There are so many who can’t even hold hands with their partners walking down the street for fear of their safety. There are children who get kicked out of their homes. People get murdered. They commit suicide, because the voices in their heads, along with society all around them constantly telling them that they are broken, sick, and wrong.

“There are so many places in the world that are so intolerant. But not Night Vale. Here no one bats an eye. Everyone is respectful of pronouns. It doesn’t matter who you love, or if you feel that you were born into the wrong body.  It was like a safe haven for those who didn’t fit the mold. But it was too good to be true. You turned around and encouraged Night Vale, sweet Night Vale, to become just like the rest of the world fearing anyone that is different and acting out in violence against them. You had them running for their lives Cecil! Over nothing!”

“How could we trust newcomers after Strex? After all the torment that brought us. We need to protect ourselves.”

“Being weary I can understand, and yes this town is still recovering from a massive ordeal. There is no denying that. You have all the reasons in the world to be skeptical and cautious around strangers, but that is not what you did. You saw something different and then sought to destroy it. Which makes you no different from the rest of the world. You Cecil Palmer, did this. The mob was on your command, and had there been bloodshed it would have been on your hands. You scared me to death Cecil, and made me feel unsafe for being different in my own home. I never thought I would have to deal with feeling that way here. You took my peace of mind from me, something  I don’t know if I’ll ever gain back, and it is something that I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive you for.” 


End file.
